Discoveries from Latvia World Cinema

A diary of an office worker’s day. A humorous look at his casual homosexual adventures turns bitter when it is revealed that he is already in a relationship with a deeply depressed, alcoholic man.

A coming-of-age drama about a teenage girl who lives through the break-up of her family and her friend’s suicide. The script is based on the diaries of a real high-school senior year student (also the scriptwriter of the film), who wrote about her experiences in 2018-2019.

His own image in the mirror was so important that one day he didn’t find himself there.

Jānis was an actor – respected and in demand. Dina came to the Liepāja Theatre to become an actress. In the summer of 1992, Jānis fell off the roof of his house, broke his back and was partially paralysed. The doctors promised things would get better but they didn’t. They now live in a harsh reality which seems unbearable.

How does it feel to be old? The characters in this film have passed their 80th birthdays, but their age doesn’t define them. Instead, they are defined by their attitude towards life and aging. Still very positive, active and with sharp minds, four inspiring seniors from Latvia continue doing things that excite them despite the physical and other challenges that accompany their years.

A year has passed since the turbulent events of the 1905 revolution. The secret police has almost eradicated the network of social democratic fighters. Only one group continues fighting and a bold assault on a factory cash desk is being planned. A low ranking fighter Grey is assigned to lead the operation. Meanwhile, Grey starts an affair with a young poetess Violet and gets to know the flamboy-ant crowd of decadent artists and writers. Inspired by Violet Grey takes a look at revolution from a different perspective. Meanwhile Violet gradually gets involved in the dangerous world of revolutionary fighters. November 1906 in Riga is still remembered as a month of crazy bohemia and violent terror.

This heartwarming documentary follows the vibrant journey of Latvian seniors in their quest for love. It chronicles the inspiring tales of individuals who, despite their advanced age, reject solitude and embark on courageous new adventures, embracing life's opportunities with open hearts. Along this extraordinary journey, some find new companions for meaningful conversations, while others discover travel buddies for exciting escapades. A fortunate few even uncover life partners. Through their captivating stories, the film delves into their experiences, where emotions mirror the turbulence of their youth, and where, even in today's digital age, life remains a reservoir of passion and zeal.

The protagonist of this documentary film is not a sleepwalker. He is not a reckless adventurer. Or a madman. Or a bird - a man with wings. There are things he may lose. He has a big family - sons, a wife, dogs, a house, a job. But Eriks Rugens, the protagonist of this documentary film, has a courageous dream that has become a reality - climbing roofs. He has managed to overcome the natural human fear of height. Climbing the roofs is his hobby and work to be closer to the sky, on the spires of churches, on top of the high-rises. From where he looks at the daily and street life with different eyes.

Comedy Latvia annual stand-up celebration and awarding of the best comedians of 2022.

Jemma Skulme (1925-2019) experienced many different times during her long life, and the conversation revealed how time and events have influenced the life of this creative person. The conversation with the artist took place on February 12, 2016, in her studio in Mežaparks. Džemma's memories are permeated by enormous diversity, complexity, a considerable burden of responsibility, time, and many other factors that have undoubtedly left their mark on her life.

A story about life in two minutes.

A fragment of the Berlin Wall in the centre of Riga.

The documentary film Laidi tells the story of the last year of Laidi Primary school in Laidi Manor, southwestern Latvia. Ieva Epnere came to Laidi in autumn 2021 as part of a creative residency to learn about the history and stories of the parish and to find inspiration for a new artwork. During the residency, the idea of collaborating with the school's theatre group was born, and together with choreographer Elīna Gediņa the movement performance Laidu leģendas (eng. Tales of Laidi) was created. Parallel to the development of the idea, the artist learned about the decision of the Kuldīga County Council to close the school. The disturbing news prompted Epnere to document the situation. The result is a documentary film spanning all seasons and connecting the everyday life of the school with preparations for a reunion that will also be a farewell.

Latvians have left their land for all corners of the earth over the last centuries – either driven out for disobeying the powers at large, or due to wars and revolutions, or with visions of a better life. And not always to an easier life. But there was only one place where an anti-Latvian campaign was waged, where every Latvian was treated as a spy, a traitor, and the enemy, and therefore deserved to be tortured and shot. This was during the 1937 repression in Russia, where the horror and pathologies, made Latvians into betrayers and murderers of their own kind.

The middle aged rock enthusiast Raimonds has a dream to become a guitar player for a legendary rock and roll band. He attempts to achieve this goal by making a music video for them. However, drama starts, when a young film student, Rūta, gets involved.

A documentary essay about an unusual 17-year-old who lives on an island in a marsh and draws his life.

'Vadātājs' is an ancient Latvian mythological creature that leads people to Nowhere. As Latvia has been declared the most superstitious country in the EU, it is important to understand – what do we believe in? Three young filmmakers – a director, cinematographer and sound girl – question if Latvia is a lost country and if a Vadātājs has achieved enormous power by leading Latvian society into confusion. A search for a contemporary Vadātājs*, and the understanding of the origins of confusion within people in the 21st century.

Some of the most iconic images in Latvian visual history were taken 30 years ago, when the so-called Singing Revolution took place. This documentary that includes well-known and previously unseen 35 mm footage, is about those who took these shots, told in their own voices, their own emotions and memories.

Through the prism of three distinct characters, the 24-year-old director conveys an intimate and sensitive portrait of his own generation, wanderers looking for their place in the new and uncertain world. Dancer Tanya moves to Mississippi where she finds love with a paraplegic wheelchair basketball trainer who is more than 20 years her senior. App developer Tomass abandons the life he had before and becomes a world-travelling digital nomad. Avant-garde publisher Valters collects toilet seats in a poetically performative attempt to overcome past trauma.

The routine of life through the eyes of a child

“Today you will hear my most honest and truthful story about how I made a movie with Eisenstein and Pudovkin almost 90 years ago, how I shot from a bow in the movie Ivan the Terrible, about how I taught the Red Army to ski, how I built the Riga Film Studio, about Naval ships, about Stalin and life in the Universe."

During a solar eclipse, nature performs a transcendental ritual. Two worlds collide and a secret gate is opened, allowing a man to reach a woman.

A young boy likes to play anywhere and anytime, with anything that is handy. A poetess plays with words, a composer with sound, and a filmmaker with images, the result of which is a cinematic poem that motivates the viewer to remember his Homo Ludens.

Captured by Borders is a film about travelling the world in old and transformed fire trucks. They have been in more than 100 countries, on five continents, driven for more than 100 000 kilometres. As a result, we were confident that no one could stop us. Until the fire trucks were blocked on the border between China and Vietnam. By one of the most difficult border crossings in the world. After almost eight years, a rescue expedition leaves Latvia to bring the fire trucks home. How will they fare? That’s what this adventure documentary is about.

Budding lawyer Vik is disappointed in himself. He tries to change and please everyone until he loses sight of himself. Vik meets the mysterious Mirror Man who offers to help him regain his self-esteem and become the kind of person Vik dreams of becoming. Vik agrees, but the Mirror Man at times leaves Vik in situations where he surprises others not just by his new-found self-confidence, but also by insolence that causes a rift with his closest friends. Soon the Mirror Men in Vik’s life are too many to control, and when he tries to back away – it’s too late.

The epic story of one of the most iconic Latvian rock bands – Jumprava [Yumpravah]. The feature film tells the story about how the electronic rock group Jumprava was founded in 1984 and how it evolved throughout the years until 1991. With their songs and their unique style, Jumprava encouraged the “third awakening” in Latvia and inspired young people to dream big on this side of the Iron Curtain.

There are places that we don’t want to know anything about, places that we would rather pretend don’t exist at all. One such place is a dumpsite. From the humans’ point of view, it is a ghastly place, a stinking desert of trash. But it’s a desert that is teaming with life.

After fighting over toys, two kids – brother and sister – experience adventurous yet dangerous journey in the magic kingdom under the sand box, where, accompanied by their extraordinary nanny the witch, they learn about the power of companionship.

A young man who lost both his legs in a childhood accident comes to the rescue of the girl he loves when she is victimized by villains.

Basketball is more than a game. Each team is made from the work of many, but its success is only measured in wins. The film follows the 54th season of the VEF basketball team’s daily life, and explores its history in order to understand what makes a good team: players, coaches, captains, or perhaps just pure luck and budget.

Three men from the Emergency Brigade help a popular artist get out of the mess he has gotten himself into while working on a new painting. The source of all the trouble is glue. The glue is so sticky that everything sticks to it, including the artist himself. The result is a new, fantastic work of art.

A unique, engaging film that combines documentary footage with narrative cinema to tell the story of four generations of a Latvian family. Sixteen year-old student Jānis has been given an interesting homework assignment – to draw his family tree and explain it. The story of his family begins with his great-great-grandfather who burned down the manors of German landowners during the 1905 revolution. My Family Tree takes us on a journey to various countries and political regimes, showing Jānis’ ancestors to be people of diverse fates and life stories. A rich Latvian trader, a red rifleman loyal to Lenin, a carpenter with the KGB and war refugees in Sweden are only a few branches on his family tree, and the boy has heard something unusual and unforgettable about each and every one of these people.

Time rushes past from waking to sleep — a blur of motion shaped by the city’s rush. But when rain interrupts, time begins to melt, and the world displays its shimmering hues. Somewhere in the drift, I remember: I owe a visit to my parents. And yet, here I am - a quiet duck, savoring the sunlight.

Lullaby song.

The film, like fragile, sensual, philosophical poetry, evokes the youth of the Poet (Imants Ziedonis) and Auķa (the actress Ausma Kantāne-Ziedone was called Imants), when poetic words in letters and postcards were the lifeline for another person. In his letters, the Poet writes about the cultural figures with whom he travels to distant lands, his observations about places where ordinary people of that time could rarely travel – even to Bulgaria and Poland, as well as Sakhalin. The poet's observations about the people he met in foreign lands, as well as about parties, cafes, and girls, are amusing. In the letters, just like in Imants Ziedonis' poetry, there is their longing for a strong family filled with children, understanding, personality development, as well as contrasts and reflections on their great talents, and how close they are to each other even when they have reached creative heights.

Albert is an old man who lives in a house surrounded by the forest. Since the death of his wife, he spends his days in solitude. Driven by loneliness, despair and a longing for his deceased wife, Albert agrees to participate in a spiritual séance, just to be with her one last time. The séance fails; however, it triggers a chain of surreal events that give him hope of regaining that which seemed lost forever. Unfortunately, these events happen only in Albert’s unconscious mind.

The white tranquility of mountains is disturbed by colorful winter sports enthusiasts who enjoy downhill skiing.

Documentary film the Sixth Player follows basketball fans and their emotions throughout the European Basketball Championship in Riga in 2015. Basketball is being played for the fans and can't be enjoyed without the atmosphere created by the fans. The film follows different basketball supporters simultaneously - locally well known actors in a bar, parents of the players in the arena, random people near the big screens in the main square, veteran basketball experts at their homes, injured players following the games from their rehabilitation centre and many others. EuroBasket 2015 was a unique situation for three post-soviet neighboring countries - the Baltic states, as they were drawn into the same group in the preliminary round and everyone could witness the unique unity between these friendly countries.

A candid film about Intar's life from the perspective of his children. In the film, they interview people close to their dad and important in his life, and also look for answers to not so convenient questions.

A documentary about the Latvian pop singer Mārtiņš Freimanis who died at the early age of 33. The director of this film, Arvīds Krievs, has directed two films starring Freimanis as an actor, and had an intimate connection with him as they were neighbours and Freimanis trusted him more than the journalists or reporters who interviewed him. Arvīds Krievs had planned to make a film about the singer for a few years, so he filmed the singer's life extensively.

This is a story about four men looking for missing soldiers. What is dragging 30 year old great friends to long forgotten war fields? To give an answer to this question would be to find the meaning of life. With sincere emotional touch the film is following the way of an unknown soldier back to his family and motherland after more than half a century. The events of the film take place at the same time as the second war in Iraq. The film is based on a novel „Diggers” by Viktors Duks, nominated for the EPPI Award in 2003.

I filmed myself using natural light and sound, singing a single "ee". I then sped up/slowed down this single sound, and layered it, creating a polyphonic sound.

About the son of a Knight of the Order of Lāčplēsis, who rose through the ranks of the militia to become head of the Political Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Latvian SSR – Colonel Harijs Grundulis. About the invisible part of the iceberg of power that was under his control. About the behind-the-scenes goings-on that can now be viewed with a smile.

Raisin hornets, chocolate cities, broccoli forests, gingerbread dragons, walking lollipops and other sweets come to life and sparkle in a hundred bright, sugary colours. Forbidden treats and activities chase each other in a playful, chaotic whirl. But why are they forbidden? Maybe the forbidding should be turned into an invitation to explore the world in an active and creative way?

Wulong City was divided by a mountain river until the first bridge was built in 1980. In local areas there is a mania for the endless connection of the two coasts.

A couple that does not fit into society’s accepted norms regarding women and men. Routine problems of everyday life that tend to take on immeasurable amplitudes push the film’s leads into a most intimate confinement, one in which thoughts and the answers to problems lead to dreams.

Andris is soon turning 85. He's been through a lot in his life, but, lately, one of the challenges has been the loss of his beloved wife and loneliness. Interrogated by his grandson, Andris reminisces about his past, including his first love who he hasn't seen for over sixty years.

Artis Baranovskis is a "registrator". He helps his clients by setting up fake companies. An hour before leaving to his own wedding, Artis has to find Jana, who's a fake shareholder of a company with a million euros on its account. Once she's found and her looks changed to those of a rich lady, Jana realizes her power and starts to play her own game.

A film for children about how a baby comes into this world. The sexual revolution happened in Latvia thanks to Māris Putniņš, an artist and soon-to-be among the most visible Latvian puppet animation specialists. In 1989, he published a series of drawings showing that babies aren’t brought by storks or found in cabbage patches in the famous children’s magazine Zīlīte. This popular-science film by Roze Stiebra recreates this long-kept-from-children truth on the big screen.

Latvia is governed by a strange ruler with a pig’s snout who calls himself Mr. Snout. Loath to being filmed himself and to filmmaking in general, he has locked up all positive heroes in an effort to prevent filming from taking place. The few survivors hope for the return of the Latvian folk hero Bear-slayer, who vanished into the river many centuries ago. In these harsh times, Bear-slayer rises from the water again to fight Mr. Snout. This film is a criticism of how the inaction of the Latvian government has brought Latvian filmmaking close to extinction.

The documentary film "Dream Cat", produced by the Latvian Television program "Forbidden method", explains and analyses how the Latvian animated film "Flow" reached the top of world cinema, winning the most prestigious film industry awards "Golden Globe", "Oscar" and many others.

Helen suspects that her beloved son has a girlfriend what he is trying to hide. She is terrified of the possibility that her son could leave her for his girlfriend. Dainis invites her to a party in the hope that they both will be able to become friends, but due to missunderstanding a disaster strikes.

A high-school folk dancing group heads to Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Festival, an event that takes place every five years and is part of the Latvian national identity – this is the culmination point of five years of work. Away from their homes and parents, they spend seven days and nights together. They are 18 and have just graduated, and this seems to be the last idle summer of their lives. Dreams mix with boredom, silly jokes with serious conversations. Taking care of one another creates affection and grows into a collective power. There are thousands like them at the festival. Every individual sensation turns into a common celebration that becomes more than just a tradition.

An autobiographical story about a boy who experiences the death of a relative firsthand. The story evolves around the boy’s struggle to find an explanation to death.

The original film is archived at the Baltic Analog Lab

Katrīna is a typical city dweller who has lived in Mangaļsala all her life, but she has a less than typical passion. On one hand, Katrīna is a rational, young and well-educated professional, but on the other – an irresponsible child of nature, who keeps a dog, two cats and two horses in her limited urban space.

An audiovisual interpretation of one of the "epiphanies" by Imants Ziedonis.

The film follows a thirty-year-old man’s efforts to introduce radical changes in his own life: to start visiting a therapist and preparing for the demolition of his bragging childhood home. Story chronicles the troubled relationship between Mārtiņš and his mother, just as he is about to tear down his childhood home.

There should be silence in a museum. And someone should see to it that the silence is there. It's the logical order of things. However, it might seem weird to somebody.

Astronomers look through telescopes and see that the universe has a structure — it’s shaped like a web. Slime mold researchers look through microscopes and see that the tiny organisms form similar patterns. In their quest of discovering the nature of things, they both show the beauty of curiosity.